First-Hand Marketing Lesson Valuable

Ethan Dove ’15 – After a three-day workshop this week learning about marketing, I was able to witness specific marketing tactics firsthand by attending the Big Bash talk titled “The Latest in Admissions”. Dean of Admissions, Steve Klein and Senior Director of Communications and Marketing, Jim Amidon, compiled together an eye-opening presentation about the new and improved marketing techniques Wabash College has implemented. If I didn’t know beforehand, I now understand that Wabash College is a serious place.

Dove ’15

The world of marketing and reaching young males with Wabash potential has changed drastically over the years. Wabash College has always been known for being generous with financial aid, but with the economic downturn of 2008 the college has had to find different ways to save money. Wabash is looking at a path to reach young men whose families don’t need the significant amount of financial aid that many families do. This is necessary in order to keep the prestigious academic programs which are customary of Wabash College. With the changing times, the marketing for Wabash has developed for the better.

This past year Wabash completely changed its marketing in order to better attract dedicated young men. Mr. Amidon spoke about the “Seriously” marketing campaign. The new marketing campaign is bold and enticing. It makes me wish I was recruited by these new methods. There are new postcards, booklets, and shirts that boast how serious Wabash truly is. It is meant to be very bold, not shying away from the rigorous academic standards Wabash holds. Of course Wabash tested these products with a small market before officially making this the staple for Wabash’s marketing. The results were nothing but success; young men loved reading about the seriousness Wabash possesses. The booklets were all about results; the success rates for Wabash men being accepted to graduate schools was a key statistic. One booklet had the Gentlemen’s rule on it and Wabash’s mission. The goal of every college or university marketing campaign is to have the young man or woman remember the name of the institution, but many of the young men who received Wabash booklets were able to recite the Gentlemen’s Rule and Wabash’s mission. Now that is impressive.

Wabash’s new “Seriously” marketing campaign is a game-changer. It lets young men know everything they need to know when making a college decision. There is no extra “fluff” to it; Wabash spoke the truth and didn’t shy away from the facts. The thing that I was impressed with most was the unique way Wabash is now mailing acceptance letters. The acceptance letter comes in a folder with big lettering on the front reading “Welcome to the Brotherhood”. It is a perfect deal-maker; it is professional, modern, and exciting. It speaks volumes of the Brotherhood that Wabash truly is. Also, it speaks volumes of the dedication and effort that the Wabash College Admissions and Marketing team put into making the new “Seriously” marketing campaign the best marketing campaign Wabash has ever seen.